Jamie Carragher's question about Liverpool's title chances might feel premature to a lot of people, but if Andoni Iraola can solve a big conundrum, there's no reason why it shouldn't be in the reckoning

It didn’t take long for some optimism to return to Anfield. That we’re just a little over two months into the season and questions are being asked about a potential title challenge might feel premature, but it shows what a good job Andoni Iraola is doing right now.

Performances might still not be quite enough to convince some that there is a real chance of Liverpool being in the running for the Premier League crown, but to trot out an old cliche for just a second, winning is becoming a habit - one that was sorely lacking last season.

And if Iraola is getting his team to win when it’s clearly not the finished product, that can only be taken as a positive, and it might just mean those title shouts are not as ridiculous as some might think.

Jamie Carragher is the first to really put his head above the parapet and ask the question. The Liverpool legend’s suggestion even made its way to Iraola during his press conference on Friday, with the Liverpool boss predictably avoiding making any grand predictions.

It should be said that Carragher didn’t come out and declare the Reds as potential champions. "The answer to my opening question about whether Liverpool will win the title this season remains a no,” he said in his latest Telegraph column.

That outlook might change very soon though. “Unlike several weeks ago, it is not such an emphatic one,” Carragher continued. “Should Liverpool claim a statement victory over the champions on Sunday, mine will not be the only stance softening."

It’s far too early to suggest Sunday’s game against Arsenal could be a potential title decider, especially when we still don’t know what’s going to happen to Manchester City.

But with Chelsea still looking disjointed, and the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham well off the pace, then - whisper it - but Liverpool might well be the only realistic competition for the Gunners.

Even in writing that, I feel more than a little sheepish. This is a team that only just scraped a Champions League place last season, after all, with the likes of Jeremy Jacquet and Bradley Barcola now thrown into the mix.

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By the same token, this is a team boasting three $100 million-plus players. You could argue what that actually brings to a side, but for that sort of money - and it’s not like others in the squad weren’t expensive - you’d be expecting to be right at the top end of the table, if not claiming the title.

That’s the real challenge for Iraola. $168M Alexander Isak is starting to prove his worth, but he needs to keep his goalscoring run going throughout the season. $155M Florian Wirtz is still not at the level so many expected, and that has to change. And $165M Barcola is showing signs that he’s finding his feet, but he needs to be producing more.

If Iraola gets that $488M trio firing - and can solve other issues in midfield and at full-back - then why shouldn’t Liverpool be in the running for the title? Beat Arsenal on Sunday, and Carragher won't be the only one asking the question.